Science: Experimental Results

The Syracuse University Lava project seeks to bridge the gap between other types of investigations of lava flows. With lava flows that are close to the scale of the incremental volumes of lava that combine to make larger flow fields our experiments provide a unique perspective on the behavior and morphology of lavas. No other program routinely creates lava flows on the scale hundreds to thousands of pounds per flow. By varying experimental conditions we have learned to create a very wide range of lava flow morphologies and other features that correspond to those found in nature. Careful documentation of experiments provides detailed information on the conditions under which these features form. The following images highlight some selected results of recent experiments.

By varying experimental conditions we have been able to create a very wide range of lava morphologies that are also found in natural lava flows. A sampling of these results illustrates how different parameters can affect the final morphology of the flows.

Complex deformation structures form in the cooling crust of flowing basaltic lavas. These include folds, shear zones and other structures that are common in tectonically deformed terranes. Our experiments provide an opportunity to investigate these features as they form.

Fold Wavelength Study: Folds in the crust of pahoehoe lava may provide insights into the viscosity of the crust relative to the viscous core of the flow.

Click on an image to see an expanded view.

Fold Wavelength Study: Folds in the crust of pahoehoe lava may provide insights into the viscosity of the crust relative to the viscous core of the flow.

Fold Spectum Study: An example of photogrammetric 3D models of pahoehoe lava flows from the SU lava project. Digitized topography of the lava surface can be profiled and analyzed using Fourier transform to reveal a power spectrum of the complexly folded crust. (James Farrell, 2017)

Microstructures: Shearing in flow-banded lavas show microstructures that are analogous to those that form in deformed metamorphic and plutonic rocks.

On a microscopic scale, lavas commonly contain vesicles (trapped gas bubbles), crystals and other textural features that can provide clues to lava flow processes. Because our lava flows are relatively thin and cool very rapidly they are mostly composed of basaltic glass (nearly amorphous, isotropic material). With slower cooling and in specific parts of flows where nucleation is possible, crystals develop. Examples below illustrate some interesting features found in past experiments.